5th meeting of the Latin American and the Caribbean Network on Regulatory Improvement

30-31 October 2017, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

The 5th Meeting of the LAC Network on Regulatory Improvement brought together officials in charge of promoting regulatory quality in the region, as well as partner organisations and country officials.

The mission of the LAC Network is to assist Latin American and Caribbean countries in building and strengthening their capacity for the design and implementation of good regulatory policies in order to assure high-quality regulation and regulatory coherence. High quality regulations have the potential to contribute to the objectives of better public governance, a better business environment, greater competitiveness, and achieve more inclusive economic growth.

The LAC Network achieves this mission by promoting co-operation and fostering the exchange of good practices and mutual learning among policy makers in Latin American and Caribbean countries, OECD member and non-member countries, and international organisations interested in this exchange.

ATTENDANCE: Officials from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru attended the event, as well as representatives from the OECD, IDB and the Canadian Agency for Regulatory Co-operation.

ISSUES ADDRESSED:

Argentina, Costa Rica and Mexico presented their experiences on regulatory policy. Particularly, the use of electronic signature as a mean to improve processes within public institutions, the establishment of a regulatory framework as a condition for the implementation of regulatory policy and the functions of some oversight bodies, such as the COFEMER in Mexico and the Regulatory Improvement Direction in Costa Rica.

IDB underlined some of the challenges that the region faces on regulatory matters, especially with subnational governments.

The meeting also included a panel discussion on the experiences of Mexico, Peru, Colombia and El Salvador in the creation and management of a registry of formalities and services. This is a fundamental tool for users, as it allows for the reduction of time and resources necessary to carry out a formality. In addition to savings in resources, the registry of formalities and services promotes transparency.

Co-operation between institutions at national and international levels: The Legal Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico presented their Capacity Building Program. This Program is composed of certifications that focus on regulatory policy and are available online.

Representatives from the OECD and the Canadian Agency for Regulatory Co-operation covered international regulatory co-operation.

Agreements from the meeting include the continuous dialogue between members of the LAC Regulatory Improvement Network and international organisations.

The next meeting of the LAC Network will take place in San Salvador, El Salvador.